This tea tastes like eating a bouquet of nectar-y flowers. I have not, for the record, done this, but it’s how I imagine the experience might be, if you were so inclined. It’s light, lively, vegetal, and easy.

(Original Artwork from Super Starling inspired by this tea)

I feel like being a bee would be wonderful. A life spent in the sunshine, with a clear, tasty plan — find flowers; collect yummy pollen. Have a fluffy face. Hang out in Taiwan (whence this tea originates) with your friends in a hive. Hexagons are very hot in interior decoration right now.

Since I am not a bee (uuuuuuugh), I’ll have to savor this flavor instead.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Oolong

Description

We are pleased to expand our offering of Taiwanese high mountain (Gao shan) oolongs. This tea is from the middle of the Nantou District, between Li Shan to the north and Ali San in the South. It is a lovely lightly oxidized oolong.

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"

A steeping time of at least five minutes is usually advisable in order to obtain maximum flavor. This unique tea can be enjoyed at anytime of the day and anywhere. I’m currently sipping it outside as it’s finally nice here in Minnesota.

It’s lukewarm and perfect for enjoying under the sun. Along with all the supposed health benefits it also boasts a sweet flavor and an enjoyable ginseng aroma.

The best part though is the lingering aftertaste that fills your mouth with sweet ginseng for many moments.

Oolong de la Creme also known as Milk Oolong. In its truest form with no added flavors it is called Jin Xuan or #12.

It’s a pleasing tea for the palette with notes of milk and cream. It has a silky mouth feel and, if you get the right version, can even smell milky. If you buy a couple of different brands do a side y side aroma comparison.

One can generally tell which is higher quality simply by the smell as some of the lower quality leaves will have a somewhat mechanical smell to them.

While I’m not 100% sure of this version I do like the creamy wet leaf smell and the taste is pretty spot on.

You guys this company has produced some amazing teas. From the first sniff after opening the package to the last drop descending your throat everything shouts exceptional tea.

The moment I opened the package and smelled the slightly sweet marine and mineral notes I knew it was a lightly oxidized oolong. And then of course you look at the tightly rolled, dark green leaves and you know, yup that is definitely an oolong.

When the water is poured over the leaves it gives off a vegetal smell. Which is slightly amusing because if you pick up the cup to smell it 5 seconds later …. you don’t smell it.

Quite interesting. It has a smooth mouth feel with mineral, vegetal, and a few hints of grassy notes.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Oolong

Description

Gaoshanchi, Fushoushan High Mountain Oolong Tea is one of the most unique and highest quality Oolong from Taiwan. Grown in the estate of Fushoushan Farm at Top Pear Mountains of Taiwan, this tea is harvested at the elevation of 2200 meters above in an isolated area (Almost the highest tea estate in Taiwan.). Due to the cold weather and relatively harsh environments, the plants grow at a very slow rate and in small quantity. The tea is either harvested during the winter or spring and sometimes only once during the entire year. After the harvest, the leaves are carefully handled and aerated during the long ride to the nearest trusted tea producer. Despite the difficult growing conditions, the tea results in thick and full body leave with high fragrance which reminds of smelling the phytoncide and foggy air while climbing a high mountain, thus which is being selected as the highest quality of Oolong.

I am having a really emotional day*, so I decided to treat myself with the best option available: a bracing cup of tea.

*To be fair, most of my days are emotional. I am a person with a Lot Of Feelings.

This was a more delicate cuppa than I was in the mood for, but no fear, it is still quite the taste sensation.

It’s really LEMONY! Light, and toward the green side of oolong, and there’s a little bit of a sweet-n-sour lemonade twist. I feel like they could serve this in the South, maybe iced, and people would love it.

It comes from a place that translates out to “Pear Mountain.” I have this weird thing where I fear unfamiliar fruit (please don’t make fun of me), so I honestly am not sure if this tastes like a pear. But it definitely IS fruity. It’s got a surprising amount of extra flavor for a straight tea. Wow.

If you were to go to Mount Li, from whence this tea originates, you would be close to — and possibly able to visit — China’s Terracotta Army.

It’s a giant underground tomb-necropolis that houses a miniature version of the first Chinese emperor’s army. They protect his (still unopened) tomb. You really need to read the Wikipedia article about this. It’s fascinating.

Here’s the scoop!

Leaf Type: Oolong

Description

Da Yu Ling oolong tea (wu-long tea) is a premium-grade oolong tea from the Da Yu Ling area of Taiwan’s Taichung county. Its high altitude (more than 2600 meters) makes this one of the highest tea plantations in the world.

Da Yu Ling has a wonderful fragrance and taste. It is a lightly oxidized oolong tea with a refreshing palate that is sought after by the most demanding tea connoisseurs. Da Yu Ling is produced in limited quantities and is one of the most prized teas of Taiwan.

"Hey, everybody! I'm Leah, a graphic designer from Pennsylvania, United States. I live with my husband and rescue mutt in a house with colorful walls. I love fonts, colors, animals, flowers, novels, illustration, geeking out, and -- obviously! -- tea. I've only been heavily into tea for about a year, but I've found I tend to prefer loose blended black dessert teas. I normally drink them hot western style without anything added; if I add in some vanilla almond milk or honey, I promise I'll mention it! When I'm not blogging here, I'm blogging at leahlucci.com/starling or posting to Instagram (super_starling), so come say hi!"